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Banisher
In the eternal battle against the Enemy Beyond, faith and knowledge are weapons. Few Acolytes wield these weapons with greater prowess than the Banisher. Whether stalking the darkest halls of a hive librarium in search of omens or enacting the Rites of Dispossession in the fields of battle, Daemonic lore is vitally important to the servants of the Collegia Exterminatus. Banishers in the Calixis Sector are a relatively new phenomenon. In 335.M41, a small cabal of Ordo Malleus Inquisitors came to the Calixis Sector on the trail of a prophecy regarding a greater Daemon. Lord Inquisitor Caidan found himself most impressed with their retinue of scholar-priests, who studied a rare copy of a book called the Liber Daemonica to learn their enemy’s tricks. Although the Inquisitors and their tome soon moved on, Caidan's interest in the scholar-priests only grew. The Calixian Conclave decreed that Ecclesiarchal resources could not be adequately spared for the task of researching Daemonic threats in the vast quantities required, while Adepts did not typically have the faith necessary to fortify themselves against the information they might uncover. Thus, the Calixian Ordo Malleus began to formalize the training of the Banishers, a type of holy warrior who would be equally skilled at researching and eradicating Daemonic forces. An Inquisitor would be wise to have several of these individuals among his immediate companions, with many more acting behind the scenes to uncover a Daemons’ dark secrets. Banishers in the Calixis Sector are, like many other agents of the Ecclesiarchy, chosen at a young age from the most pious children. Their training takes a great deal of time as they are armed with the tools to seek out forbidden knowledge while maintaining their faith. As a result, many Banishers are relatively advanced in age by the time they become Acolytes. The intensity of their training often leaves them with scars and augmetic replacements. Their bodies show the sacrifices they have made for their purity. Not all Banishers are trained by the Ministorium. On many Calixis Feudal or Feral worlds, wise men steel themselves to study that which dwells in the dark, seeking wisdom to help them vanquish Warp-spawned entities. While these elders are not usually steeped in the tutelage of the Ecclesiarchy, they are no less devout to the Imperial Creed, and can be quite useful in rooting out long forgotten omens and ancient secrets in Imperial archives. Many Inquisitors have also been known to train Banishers to combat specific daemons. Banishers hold a delicate position in an Acolytes Cell. Experienced Acolytes revere them for their wisdom and temperance in the face of terrible secrets, and often owe their survival and success to the madness the Banisher has interpreted for them. Yet these same Acolytes know that no mind can understand the unknowable and walk away unscathed. Therefore Banishers are seen with a distant respect and watched closely for fear that they may suddenly snap under the weight of their dark knowledge. Though occasionally found within other Ordos, Banishers are usually under the employ and oversight of the Ordo Malleus. A Malleus Inquisitor may employ dozens, or hundreds of Banishers all working diligently to uncover the details of a Daemonic incursion into the materium. Many Banishers work in groups, though not for the sake of efficiency. There have been cases of Banishers using their knowledge to gain personal power or to traffic with daemons. Thanks to their training, however, these instances have been few, and placing them in a larger group allows other Acolytes to keep an eye on them as needed. Creating a Banisher To be a Banisher is to seek out knowledge many believe is best left buried. They combine lore with faith, without failing to bring a flamer to bear should it be necessary. Their will is fortified against the madness which accompanies such endeavours, for they must go where few dare. They must be prepared to face many horrors in their search for manuscripts, ancient legends, and even the true name of a powerful Daemon. Required Career: Cleric Alternate Rank: Rank 1 or higher Starting Talents: A character who replaces Rank 1 with Banisher gains the Hatred (Daemons) Talent. Starting Gear: A character who replaces Rank 1 with Banisher replaces his starting equipment with a Best Quality Staff (with the Sanctifi ed Trait) or a Stub Revolver with 6 Sanctified rounds, chain coat or flak vest, aquila necklace, Ecclesiarchy robes (Good Quality), charm (Skull) and a backpack. Income: The character's Income becomes Learned Class. Banisher Talents talent: intellectualiZation The character is adept at rationalizing words and text and stripping them of their power over him. If called to make a Test against Fear, Insanity or Corruption as a result of reading or hearing forbidden words or language (such as from reading a corrupted tome), the character may reroll any failed Willpower Tests substituting his Intelligence for Willpower on the reroll. talent: sPeed reading Through years of practice the character has developed the ability read text at an astonishing rate. The character may make a Challenging (+0) Literacy Test to read text at the rate of 20 pages per minute, plus an additional 5 pages per minute per degree of success. The character automatically passes any Total Recall Tests required of him to recall the information within the book. talent: aura oF FaitH Daemonic entities reel from the Acolyte, their daemonic powers cleansed in his presence. Any Daemon within a radius equal to the Acolyte's Willpower Bonus in meters suffers 1d5 damage if it fails a Warp Instability Test plus an additional 1d5 damage per degree of failure. This damage is not affected by armour or Toughness Bonus. talent: rite oF BanisHMent This rite is closely guarded, written only in the most sacred texts and taught only to experienced Banishers. With this rite the Daemonic can be banished from the material world. The character chooses a single daemonic entity and spends three Rounds inscribing holy symbols into the fl oor in up to a 10m radius. The targetted daemon need not be present at the time of the inscribing. While in the area the chosen daemon does not benefi t from the Daemonic Trait and may not enter or leave the area unless it passes a Very Hard (–30) Willpower Test.